My Place Under The Yellow Sun
by ChaoticEris
Summary: Kara Zor-El is becoming a professional fighter when it comes to battling aliens, but is she as good at protecting her heart as she is at defending the Earth? [KARAMEL]
1. Not So Much A Hero

_As he stepped out onto the solid ground, the dark haired man noticed something was off. The air that filled his nostrils smelled different, and the ground below his feet felt softer. The wind that caressed his skin was cold and rough, and it sent shivers down his spine. He quickly came to the realization that whatever this place was, it wasn't his beloved Daxam. Suddenly he felt as If he were stabbed right in the chest, and the sharp pain made him lose his balance. He collapsed onto the ground, and instead of trying to stand up, he rolled onto his back and took a deep breath. As he lowered his sight to his chest he was expecting to see some kind of an injury that was cause this amount of pain, but there was no sign of blood on his T-shirt clad chest. Everything about him appeared normal, but the pain kept spreading and it was starting to rob him off his breath. Just as he was about to try and stand up, he started hearing whispers. At first it was just unclear mumbling, but soon they turned into words, and words turned into sentences. "You should have died with the rest of them!" They were saying. "You could have helped them, but you chose to save yourself!" The steady sentences grew louder and the voices seemed to be coming from everywhere around him. "You should have died Mon-El! You should have died! " -_

The voice that was taunting him grew softer, with a hint of desperation underlying it. "Mon-El , wake up!" It was pleading with him. His eyes fluttered open, and for a fleeting moment he thought he was seeing an angel with a golden halo, but as his vision sharpened he realized the halo was nothing more than the locks of blonde hair that gleamed under the sunlight, and they belonged to none other than Kara Zor-El. Furthermore, he noticed her hand was pushing against his bare shoulder, gently nudging him awake. As nice as her warm hand felt against his skin, he quickly grew irritated and grumbled. "Stop that! I'm awake!"  
He shook her off and pulled himself into a seating position. He rubbed his eyes then gave her a cold stare. "It's Saturday Kara! Can't you let me sleep for just one day?"  
He was sure he saw a trace of a frown on her face, but it didn't stay there long. She quickly forced a smile and said in a determined, strict yet awfully optimistic tone. He would soon have to name it the "Kara tone", because she was the only person that ever used it in such a specific way. "Crime never sleeps, so neither can superheros, which you kind of are.." Mon-El knew she'd have something more to add to that , but what he didn't anticipate was the way her smile faltered and her head fell slightly as she tried to hide the pity in her eyes. "Besides, you were practically screaming and you wouldn't wake up, I thought you'd appreciate being snapped out of whatever that was.."  
The Daxamite knew her intentions were good, but he never liked being pitied, he was far too proud, and in that moment he felt like Kara was invading his privacy. "I can survive a nightmare. Nobody asked you to rush in and save the day, Supergirl. I'm not one of your helpless little humans." The spiteful words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them, and this time Kara didn't bother to hide her distaste.  
"You know, here on Earth we have this little thing called gratitude. Look it up and call me when you learn the definition."  
Kara didn't stay long enough for him to answer, she sped out of the room before he could even blink. He just sat there for a moment, staring at the door the girl didn't bother closing. He felt guilty. He knew she was only trying to help, but he had to be an ass anyway. As his mind was once again occupied by the images from that dream and the voices that obviously meant to hurt him, he became acutely aware of the fact that he wasn't mad at Kara at all. He was so frustrated by himself and so burdened by guilt that he couldn't hold it in anymore. He needed to lash out at someone, and she was just at the wrong place, and the wrong time. The voices in his dream were right though, he did choose to save himself. He was a coward, and for that he didn't deserve to live. He should have died with the rest of his people, at least then he would be at peace.

But what was done was done, and there was no going back now. The only thing he could do was use the second chance he was given to redeem himself, and making it up to Kara for being such a royal a-hole seemed like a good start.  
He dressed as quickly as he could, and although he was starving he decided to hold off breakfast. Before anything else, he needed to find the only kryptonian he could ever actually stand being around. He didn't actually like Kara. She was pushy, annoyingly optimistic and self-righteous, which irritated the hell out of him, but she was willing to take him under her wing and help him adjust to life on Earth, for which he did owe her a major dept of gratitude.

He started towards the training room, in hopes of finding Kara there, when she flew right past him and out through an open window, not bothering to spare him a glance. A deep sigh emitted from his lips as he watched the red cape disappear before his eyes. He wasn't really surprised, he deserved it after all, but he had to admit that being downright ignored equally sucked on every planet.


	2. Making Progress

A/N: After publishing the first chapter of this story I wasn't sure If I wanted to continue, but after giving it some thought I've decided I want to write it for myself. This won't be only about Karamel all the way and it won't follow the show in it's every aspect. Still, I'll appreciate every review (good or bad) because they inspire me to write. Without further ado, here's the second chapter;

* * *

By now, Mon-El knew that Kara was amazing at giving people a cold shoulder, he had seen her do it to others, only this was the first time he was at the receiving end of it. It had been too long since the last time they had a decent conversation. Sure, he wasn't always the nicest guy, but she was overreacting. They went from friends to strangers in a matter of days and it kept him awake at night. He did develop some sort of friendship with Winn and James, the ladies that were in charge of cleaning the DEO were chatty most of the time, and Alex didn't entirely hate him, but Kara was different. She was the only one that understood what life with powers was like. She made him feel less alone on this foreign planet, and he needed a friend like that.

"Kara! Hold up!" He called after her as she was "discreetly" trying to slip past him – again.

She hesitated for a second, but much to his relief, turned around and decided to face him. "What do you want? I'm kind of busy."

He couldn't help but roll his eyes at her little white lie. According to Winn, National City had been more quiet than ever during these last few days, but Kara still used every excuse she could come up with to get as far from the DEO (and him) as she possibly could. "No, you're not, and If you could just listen for one minute, you'd see I'm not trying to waste your time."

Her expression didn't exactly show she believed that, but she was polite enough to listen anyway. "Fine. You've got a minute."

As soon as he got a green light, Mon-El began his attempt to get back into the girl's good graces. His green eyes gleamed slightly and his lips curled into a smirk. "I know that sometimes I can be an a-hole, but I am thankful for all that you've done for me, whether you believe it or not. Also, If I remember correctly, before that unfortunate awakening a week ago, you offered to train me out in the field. I'd like to take you up on that offer, that is, If it still stands."

Kara wasn't one to give up on people easily, but there was just something about Mon-El – even the little things he did pushed her buttons. She knew that being around him , training him, wouldn't be easy. In her line of work, she couldn't afford to be irritated or frustrated, but then again, that was exactly the way she was feeling right now. Maybe If they could find some common ground, she would get her peace back, and give National City another hero in the process. It seemed like a risk worth taking. "I appreciate that, and...I guess I could still train you. "

At that, his smirk transformed into a grin, but Kara was quick to cut him off. "But, I will not put up with your childish , snappish behavior. One snide comment and we're done, got it?"

"Loud and clear." He replied , his grin widening even further. He couldn't hide his excitement, nor did he want to. "So, when do we begin?"

"Tomorrow, ., meet me at the back of CatCo, and don't be late." She warned, and with that she was off again.

He would have to tell her that he hated her disappearing acts, he wondered why she never allowed him to reply. Maybe it was her way of showing who was in charge. If that was it, he got the message - or maybe she was just trying to avoid pointless banter, which would surely follow. Either way, he deemed it unnecessary for her to run off like that. As much as he disliked the idea of waking up before noon, he was finally making some progress that he had been hoping for, and for the first time in days, he felt good about himself again – Kara just gave him a reason to get up in the morning.

* * *

Despite being an alien, Kara could still feel the cold of the December morning. The cold didn't reach her bones and make her shiver like it did the rest of the humans, but it was enough to make goosebumps cover the surface of her skin. She was at the back of CatCo, at 8 am. sharp. The streets were crowded with people trying to get to work as fast as they could, just to get off the streets, which made this the perfect time to train Mon-El. Even the workers of CatCo that usually used the back alley to sneak a smoke were now hiding within the confined walls of the building. Kara paced from one side to the other, feeling her patience gradually leaving her.

The Damaxite was only a few minutes late, but she was already losing her temper. Somewhere in the back of her mind, was a possibility that he might not even show up, which made her slightly anxious. She couldn't understand why she didn't have more tolerance when it came to him. He had yet to prove that he could be relied on, but he wasn't all bad either, and Kara had to constantly remind herself of that fact.

As If on cue, Mon-El paced into the alley. Kara couldn't help but eye him out as he advanced towards her. He was clad in a tight black T-shirt and a pair of matching sweatpants. His grin revealed a set of pearly white teeth, and his green eyes shimmered with excitement - he appeared to be ready for training.

"Sorry I'm late, I sort of overslept.." He gave her a look that had guilty written all over it, but suddenly he seemed so docile she couldn't do anything but try to lighten up the mood.

"And in the rush to get here in time, you forgot to put on a jacket." She said mockingly as she pointed out his lack of clothing. She couldn't image what humans thought when they saw a man walking around in nothing but a T-shirt in the middle of December. Even she found it unnatural.

"I'd rather handle a few odd looks from a couple of old ladies than you scolding me for being late." He replied in a similar tone, his lips curving into a small smile.

"You make me sound so mean, I actually feel bad for you." Kara offered him a slight pout, before regaining her posture. In a span of a few seconds, her mood shifted entirely and her own excitement at their little training session peeked. She was ready to begin. She clapped her hands together and grinned broadly. "Anyway, lets get started with your training." She turned towards the gigantic building that stood in front of them, and focused her attention on her obviously previously made-up plan as she began explaining. "I figured we should start by figuring out the best way for you to cover the ground. I know that you can't fly like me, but when I talked to Winn he mentioned that you were a lot faster than average humans, and that your leaping was amazing, so I thought, maybe you could move on top of buildings rather than in between them. If you can jump from here to the top of CatCo than you can also cross the distance between two rooftops. It will give you a large viewing space, and you'll kind of feel like you're flying." Finally, she turned back towards Mon-El, only to find him looking completely baffled at her suggestion. He was gazing at the top like it was light-years away.

"I knew you didn't like me, but I didn't think you'd try to make me kill myself." He chuckled a bit, before diverting his gaze to her face, half expecting to hear her say she was joking.

"I'm not-" Kara shook her head when she realized what he was saying, and sighed softly. "Just because you've never done it before, doesn't mean that you don't have it in you. If Winn says you can do it, then I believe you can. Just try."

His eyes went back to the top of the building, then back at her, then back to the top again. The rooftop was so high, there was no way he could ever jump that distance and land on the top without hurting himself, but Kara did truly believe that he could - he saw the determination in her eyes. It wasn't very often that someone had faith in his abilities, and If anyone was worth taking such a leap for, it was Kara. He just wished he had her faith in himself, because all of a sudden his legs felt like jello and the ground beneath him didn't feel so solid anymore.

He took a step back, and inhaled the cold fresh air into his lungs. He crouched a bit, then jumped. His feet separated from the ground for a fleeting moment, but he was back where he started sooner than he could blink. A wave of disappointment washed through him, and he gulped a lump down his throat. "There, I told you I couldn't do it."

Just as expected, Kara wasn't having any of it. Her hand rested upon his shoulder and gave it a tight squeeze of encouragement. Her closeness and the way her eyes locked onto his unwillingly made his adrenaline levels jump a little. Her expression didn't look disappointed at all, on the contrary, that same determination and certainty were still evident in her shiny blue eyes.

"You can't give up that easily, just try again." She said in a soft, comforting tone. A warm smile remained plastered on her face as she stepped away to give him space.

"Here goes nothing." He mumbled before crouching again, this time feeling slightly more steady on his feet. His eyes glued onto the top of the roof, as he gave the jump his best shot. His feet parted from the ground again but this time they didn't hit it as fast as he was expecting them to. He was high in the air when he realized he was leveled with a bunch of glass windows of CatCo, and a second later he was back on the ground. The landing was a little rough and it made him wobble, but he didn't stay down long enough for any further encouragement to come his way. He recklessly jumped again, and this time when he landed he was no longer in the back alley of the CatCo Worldwide Media - he was on the top of the enormous building, and the rest of the National City was spread before him. The last time his heart was pounding this hard in his chest was back on Daxam, when the destruction all around him robbed him off his breath, but this was exactly the opposite. He felt only joy, and a weird sense of serenity. A loud , hearty laugh escaped him as he ran as fast as he could, and soon he was leaping from one building to another. He had no idea where he was going, nor did he care. Kara was right, this did feel like flying, and it was the best thing he ever felt.

Back in that alley, Kara stood, and watched in amazement as Mon-El enjoyed every second of using his abilities - this was what she wanted for him. She yearned to go after him, but decided that this was his moment, and he needed to soar through the sky alone, for now.


	3. The Wonders Of Christmas

Christmas. When the streets are covered in a thick layer of snow, every shop window, street lamp, and apartment building twinkles from the Christmas lights. Tables are filled with delicious treats and a beautiful tree is bound to be found in every living room. Boring TV shows are cast aside and replaced with movies that celebrate family and love. You wake on that special morning to find presents, and her favorite thing of all – you can hear Christmas carols almost everywhere you go. Granted, Kara knew that the point of Christmas was to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus, but since that was not within her religious beliefs, she just found joy in the positive spirit that seemed to affect everyone in her life. Yeah, Christmas was definitely Kara's favorite holiday. This year it was even more special – it was Mon's first Christmas ever, and the Kryptonian took it upon herself to introduce the alien newcomer to the wonders of Christmas, but so far she hasn't gotten anywhere. When she tried to explain Santa Claus, he took it all the wrong way – he now thinks that children of Earth cherish a masked old man that sneaks into your house in the middle of the night uninvited to eat cookies and drink milk. He liked the idea of getting a present, but he deemed the whole parade pointless. He disliked how unrealistic and romantic most of the movies she showed him were, he thought the decorations were too shiny and irritating, and he was too lazy to even help her with the tree, insisting that with her super speed she'd be done in no time.

„For the last time, I don't want to sing or listen to Jingle Bells anymore. One more high pitched song and my ears might just start bleeding. "Mon-El grumbled, before he took a pillow, a red one with a Santa on it, and held it over his ears.

„Well, tough luck, because if I have to listen to any more of your complaining, I'm going to shove an ornament of my choosing down your throat. " Kara replied with the brightest of smiles, as she was finishing wrapping the blue lights around the tree.

„I don't understand. Why do we have to do all this? Your apartment was never a picture of good taste, but it was never this tacky before. Wherever I look, I'm bombarded with colors, and reindeer, and lights, and creepy little Santas. "He sighed as he dropped the pillow, and when he noticed the Santa on it, his face turned into a grimace.

Growing tired of his protests, Alex, who was sitting by idly and listening to the same conversation repeating itself on a loop for the last three hours, finally cut into the conversation. „Look, Mon-El, I've never been crazy about Christmas either, but it's only once a year. It lifts a lot of people's spirits and sometimes, it does some good. So, put on your big boy pants and suck it up. Didn't your parents teach you that kicking and screaming never gets you anywhere? "

The Daxamite raised his hands as a sign of defeat, and rose from the couch. He reached for his jacket and pulled it on, mumbling in the process. "I'll see you guys later. "

Kara turned around swiftly, gazing at Mon-El with a puzzled, displeased look. „Where are you going? You promised you'd spend Christmas Eve with us. Winn and James are going to be here in a couple of minutes. "

„There's just some...stuff I still have to do. I'll be back in time for Home Alone...so, bye." And with that he was gone, slamming the door shut behind him.

Kara stood there, with a pout on her face, wondering what „stuff "he had to do. She took a seat next to Alex, voicing out her thoughts. „Is it just me or was that pretty weird? "

Alex's lips suddenly curled into a mischievous smirk. She was watching Kara intently the whole time Mon-El was here, and she couldn't help but notice some things. „Sure it was, but it's not like it's any of our business what he does with his free time. "

That seemed to get a small rise out of Kara, who immediately jumped at her words. „It might not be, but he said he'd spend the entire day with me...I mean us, the entire day with us, and it's rude of him to just storm out like that."

„Kara, he has been here the entire day – today, and yesterday, and the day before that, and the before that .. I think you get my point. It's not like he's a kid, he can take care of himself. Since you've started training together you've been holding him on a short leash. Give the guy some space, will you? "

That certainly shut Kara up. Suddenly, she felt bad. She didn't even realize that she was practically forcing him to hang out with her, but she just got so used to having him around all the time that whenever he wasn't there, something felt..off. At first it was just training. They've done so much with his powers in such a short time, she was brimming with pride. One day they went to have drinks after to treat themselves, the next that they got pizza, then they went skating, and then bowling, and soon it became a habit. Every day after hours of saving the city together they would go and do something to relax. The only time they weren't together was while she was at work, and she hardly even noticed how attached they became, but maybe Mon-El did – maybe she was suffocating him. „You're totally..right. I'm pushier than ever, I don't even let him go to the market on his own. Mon's come a long way, he doesn't need my constant pampering. God, I'm acting like a jealous, overprotective girlfriend and we're not even dating."

Alex observed Kara, who seemed to have found a new clarity, but the revelation made her sister much less cheerful, and much more lost. Instead of making her feel better, Alex took the opportunity to ask a question she had been dying to ask for a while now. „Kara, do you want to be dating Mon-El?"

For a second Kara looked like a deer caught in the headlights but she regained her cool rather quickly. „Ugh." She made a grimace and shook as If someone had pressed a cube of ice against her skin. „Me and Mon-El? Don't be ridiculous. We can't even agree on a pizza topping, how would I possibly put up with him as my boyfriend? "

Alex just smiled knowingly, and uttered; „Whatever you say."

At that, the door sprung open, after which James and Winn stumbled into the apartment. They both were carrying a couple of boxes wrapped in colorful, bright papers with adorable bows on tops. Kara's eyes lit up at the sight.

„They are not to be touched until tomorrow morning, got it Danvers?" Winn warned, and started placing the gifts under the tree. James engaged Kara in a conversation about the Christmas dinner, making her forget all about Mon-El for the time being, but Alex wasn't as easily swayed. Her gut told her there was something there, and she would get to the bottom of it eventually.

7:54 pm. He was running late. Mon promised everyone he'd be back in time for the movie marathon, but he completely lost track of time. He went down to the Mall to pick up a necklace he had made especially for Kara, when he realized he should probably get something minor for everyone else. He got Winn some computery stuff they recommended in the store, although he had no clue what it was, a tie for James, because he seemed like the type, a sweater for J'onn, a pair cooking gloves with annoying reindeer on them for Kara's mom, but he was stuck on what to get Alex. He spent hours roaming the stores looking for something that she might like, but when he realized he was out of time he gave it up and got her a big blanket. When he got back to the apartment, they were all already settled in the living room, with big bowls of popcorn in their laps, their eyes focused on the screen in front of them. Only Kara noticed him coming in, and she jumped over eagerly. That got everyone's attention for long enough for them to turn their heads. They greeted him with brief hellos and a couple of nods, before their focused shifted back onto the movie.

Kara was smiling at him though, as they took the wrapped boxes out of the plastic bags. As she spoke she lowered her tone, probably so she wouldn't interrupt the crowd in the living room. „First you spend days complaining about Christmas, and then you go all Santa on us."

„I know that I complain a lot, but Alex was right. All this is going to go away in a couple of days, and until then I don't want to rain on your parade. Christmas is obviously important to you."

They placed the boxes neatly under the tree, and Kara's impressed smile only widened further.

„It is, so thanks for putting up with all of my crazy for the last couple of days." Kara bit her lip, and glanced up at him through her eyelashes, dreading the conversation she was about to start. „Listen..Alex helped me realize some things that I failed to see on my own. "

His brows furrowed in confusion, and his curiosity peeked. "What is it?"

"We've been spending a lot of time together lately, and I haven't been giving you enough space to live your own life. I promise I'll stop doing that. I really want you to be happy, Mon."

He chuckled softly as he reached out and captured her hands within his own, pulling her slightly closer. "Kara, you're not doing anything wrong. I've been exactly where I've wanted to be. I know I'm a handful sometimes, but you've been great with me and my childish moods, which is why…" He let go of her hands and reached for the pocket inside his jacket, taking out a small black box that had nothing written on it. He opened it up and revealed a simple silver necklace. The symbol she wore on her chest every day, the symbol of her family dangled from the chain. "..I got you this, as a sign of my appreciation. I know we aren't supposed to open up presents until tomorrow but I couldn't wait."

"It's gorgeous, I love it. Thank you so much." Kara traced the necklace with her fingers before she took it out of the box gently. She was in awe. She would never have guessed that he would do something like that for her. "Do you mind?" She turned around and pulled her hair aside, revealing her neck. She placed the necklace around her neck while he put the box aside. She let go when he secured the clasp in place. She turned around and lifted herself up on her tiptoes, and pressed a kiss upon his cheek that lingered just a second too long.

"What was that for?" He asked, his cheeks slightly flushed, although he'd never admit it that her kiss could ever get him to flush – luckily it was very warm in the apartment.

"For the necklace, and also, we're standing under a mistletoe. "

His smile transformed into a devious smirk. "That's cute, but I've watched Harry Potter, that's not what a mistletoe kiss is supposed to look like.."

She grinned and said. "Maybe next Christmas. "With that she turned away and reclaimed her spot on the couch. Mon-El was left standing there for a second. He exhaled in frustration but shook it off and followed her, joining everyone else in their silly tradition and watched "Home Alone" for the first time in his life. What he didn't know was that someone else was watching him, and every time he sneaked a peek at Kara, he fell deeper into a hole he'd soon find he couldn't crawl out of.


	4. Poisoned Darts, Poisoned Us

**A/N:** After the last chapter I got a few inquiries about who that „someone" watching Mon-El was, and you asked If I meant that it was Alex? I might have hinted at that throughout the chapter but it's not Alex – I promise, you'll figure it out soon enough. Also, I want to thank you for your reviews and kind words sent to me in person, they inspire me more than anything else. Anyway, let's move on with the story;

* * *

"This is just miserable." Snapper snarled, obviously unsatisfied with what had been handed to him. "My hand hurts from how many times I've had to pinch myself so I wouldn't fall asleep while reading this, and I still couldn't last through the whole thing." Suddenly, he threw the paper forcefully across the table, and if it hadn't been for Kara's incredibly fast reflexes, it surely would have landed on the ground. Not that it would matter, she was getting used to picking up stuff he threw at her on daily basis. It was becoming tiresome, and frankly, quite ridiculous. Kara had handed in two stories before this one, and Snapper Carr practically spat on each and every one. She constantly had to remind herself that he was like that with everyone, otherwise he would completely destroy her self-esteem. With the holiday season just behind them, you would expect people at the office to be more relaxed and bright, but Snapper somehow managed to create a tense, suffocating work environment that made Kara feel like she needed a couple more days off.

Deciding not to let him walk all over her, she argued. "How is it miserable? I don't mean to sound rude, but I've got a glimpse of what others brought you. This is the most interesting piece that you could've read all week." Kara retorted, absolutely convinced this was something worth publishing.

She could admit, the first two stories weren't all that good; they were just basic articles covering current charity projects and a kidnapping that was resolved rather quickly (thanks to some interference from Supergirl) and not exactly what you'd call interesting news, but this one was intriguing to say the least, not even Supergirl managed to stop the tragedy from striking. Human bodies were found scattered across the town right after Christmas. So far, there have been four, all male, but the police are still receiving reports from all over – some worth checking out, others less. At first they thought they had a psychotic serial killer on the loose, but after the autopsies came back, they weren't sure the deaths were even deliberate. The only reason the bodies were dumped was probably because they became an inconvenience. All the victims had one thing in common – their DNAs were mixed with different alien DNA, and the outcome was awful.

This, of course, was kept secret by the government for a while, and the cases weren't handed over to DEO, which was odd, and only intrigued Kara further. After doing some spying (which she wasn't proud of) she learned they were planning on airing the story to warn people of a possible threat, and Kara Danvers jumped at the opportunity. If she couldn't work on it as Supergirl, she could at least stay on top of the whole situation as a reporter. The only problem was, her story lacked some facts, and she still needed to work out a theory that would make sense – all in all, it seemed slightly incomplete, but that didn't mean it was bad. She needed Snapper to publish what she had gathered so far, while it was still fresh.

"Miss. Danvers, I will not publish a story I find unsatisfactorily just because it's the best of all the awful ones. This is the first issue in the new year. We need a powerful start; we need to make good impressions. Now quit wasting my time and come back once you've improved this." Snapper said in a stern voice, fixed his glasses, and dropped his sight to a stack of papers laid out on the table before him. "That would be all."

Defeated, Kara turned around and strolled out of the office. She crumpled up the paper that he threw at her and hurled it towards the trash can, but right in that moment James came from round the corner, and the paper ball hit his shoulder instead. "The hell…?"

Kara gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. James stood dead in his tracks and looked around in utter confusion. Although forceful, the hit didn't really hurt him, just startled him. Why would anyone throw paper at their boss? Surely he wasn't that bad. At that moment his sight landed on a familiar blonde, and he raised his eyebrow in a quizzical manner. "What did I do to deserve that?"

Kara hurried over, picked up the paper and dropped it in the can, biting her lip nervously the whole time. "I'm sorry James, I didn't mean to hit you. You sure know how to pick the wrong place, wrong time."

"It's fine, I'll live." He smiled, trying to encourage her to relax, but he didn't get the response he was hoping for. Her lips barely twitched and she still appeared troubled by something. "But I see that's not what's really bothering you, so what's up?"

Kara seemed to debate whether she should talk about it or not, but she decided to go for it. James was trustworthy. "Ugh…It's just Snapper. Did you happen to hear anything about the bodies they found?"

"Not much. Honestly I tried to get my hands on some information, but they've barely released any Intel. Why?" James inquired.

"Well…with a little help from my special skills, I've actually gathered enough info to write a piece on the whole thing. And it's not just that I want my article published, which I really do, but also, I think there's stuff in there that people should know. The problem is Snapper won't publish it unless it's perfect, and by the next issue it might be too late." Kara exhaled in frustration, running her fingers through her hair. The petite blonde failed to notice the way James' gaze was locked on her the entire time.

Wanting to help a friend in distress, and get more involved in what Kara was doing in the process, James immediately offered to land a hand. "I could easily persuade him to publish the story; after all, I am his boss. I can make him do anything." He smiled cheekily, obviously enjoying his position as the head of CatCo, but Kara wasn't impressed with the idea.

She shook her head dismissively, although her lips finally curled into a genuine smile. "Thanks for the offer, but I need to make this happen on my own. I won't get anywhere if I keep pulling strings to get what I want." With some newfound willpower, Kara added; "Therefore, I have a lot of work to do. I'll catch you later."

James smiled weakly, and nodded. "Yeah, same here. Good luck, Kara." Taking a deep breath, he walked past her and continued towards his office, his shoulders slumped down in defeat. He was happy that she was taking matters into her own hands, he was proud of her for that, but he wasn't as pleased with the fact that she turned down his help. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but ever since Mon-El arrived and he formed a crime fighting duo with Winn, they've more than drifted apart, and he was nowhere near ready to let go of Kara. He had to find a way to get back to where they used to be.

* * *

Spying was definitely a new concept for Kara, but she was quickly getting a hang of it. She once again successfully sneaked into 's laboratory. Everything was exactly the same as the last time she was there. The whole place was lit incredibly brightly, with a stainless steel table set right in the middle of the room. Matching steel cabinets line the walls almost floor-to-ceiling. A section of the lab is dedicated to a couple of glass cabinets that display equipment that Kara couldn't name. Nothing else rests on the surface; the space is untarnished, neat, and you know that the person running this laboratory is a professional. It's impeccable, and the only thing she could think of is how Alex would love working in a place like this.

After some examination, Kara found what she needed and started going through Dalton's files on the case. He wasn't the one that did the autopsies, but the whole case was diverted to him the moment they discovered the foreign DNA in the bodies. When she was here two days ago, his notes were barely existent. They were brief, incomplete, and mostly useless to her, he hadn't even started working yet. She was hoping that he had made some progress in the meantime.

She took out the file that had "Brown" written on it. She remembered precisely what that one said the last time she read it; male, mid 30s, skin covered in a thick layer of red rash, melted in some areas in no particular pattern, body temperature abnormally high for a corpse...

Kara hated reading those reports. Firstly, she couldn't imagine what these people must have gone through before they finally passed away. The descriptions mortified her so much that she didn't even want to take a look at the actual bodies. Secondly, most of it was official terminology and she felt dumb when there was so much she didn't understand.

She noticed some new observations have been added. managed to separate the human DNK from the alien one, and apparently it was different from the ones that were found in the other victims, but he didn't have any samples to compare them to, so he couldn't tell which aliens were "used". He also noted that each alien DNA and each human DNA matched in at least one segment, which led him to the conclusion that they weren't picked at random. His guess was that the experiments were meant to create a superior human being by adding alien cells, but so far they have all failed.

Kara was just getting to the part where he found connections between victims when she heard the creaking of the main entrance as someone pushed the door open, followed by heavy footsteps that were nearing too fast. She quickly put everything back in it's place and flew out into the hallway, inwardly praying to God that he wouldn't notice that someone dug through his stuff.

Realizing she didn't have enough time to make an exit, she hid behind the corner and waited for the danger to pass. From the corner of her eye she saw locking himself in his lab, so she flew out of the building as fast as she could. She didn't stick around long enough for someone to catch her. She was filled with relief once she was hidden within the clouds, and she slowly made her way back home, taking the time to enjoy the feeling of the winter breeze against her cheek as she whooshed through the air.

* * *

She entered her apartment through an open window, just in time to pick up the phone that was vibrating on the table of her living room. She checked the caller ID, and when she saw it was Mon-El , she picked it up without hesitation.

"Hey, stranger." The voice from the other side of the line sounded positively chirpy, which immediately brought a smile to Kara's face.

Trying to squeeze some guilt into her tone, Kara replied. "Hey, you. I know I kinda went AWOL for a couple of days, but I didn't realize it was that bad."

It was true, Kara was so caught up in work, both as a reporter and the city's heroine, that she completely neglected her personal life. A soft laugh echoed from the other side, and in a second she was rid of the guilt she was feeling. "It's not, don't worry about it. Actually, I'm not even calling for me. Winn asked me to try and get a hold of you. He didn't wanna say what you did wrong, but he looked kinda pissed when he asked me to deliver the message. I suggest you call him, and soon."

Kara didn't want to acknowledge it, but that stirred up a lot of negative emotions in her. First, she was pretty disappointed that he was only calling for Winn, and second, she had no clue what she did either, and she feared the prospect of her friend being mad at her. Winn was never mad, unless it was something huge. "Ugh..yeah,sure..I'll get right on it. " She wasn't sure she should say anything else, but against her better judgement, she found herself asking; "So I was wondering, are you busy right now? I thought we could maybe grab a cup of coffee and catch up."

There was a pause that lasted much too long, which made a lump form in the back of her throat and her chest constricted in an uncomfortable way, then finally he spoke again. "Umm..As a matter of fact a friend and I are getting coffee right now."

Kara swallowed the lump, but the feeling didn't go away, and for some reason she found it hard to speak again. She knew it was none of her business, but her tongue worked faster than her brain. "What friend is that?" Even to her own ears, she sounded jealous, and slightly intrusive.

Mon-El must have heard it too, because his answer was silent, almost as if he was afraid of her reaction. "Eve. We just ran into each other in front of CatCo." He paused again, expecting an answer, but when Kara didn't utter a word, he asked; "Anyway...rain check on that?"

Her answer came after another pause, but she forced some joy into her voice and mumbled. "Sure, have fun. Bye."

Not even waiting to hear him say goodbye, she hung up and threw her phone on the couch forcefully. It landed on a pillow and bounced a little, almost dropping onto the floor, but she really didn't give a damn If the stupid thing broke. All thoughts about the case and the article were pushed into the back of her mind, as she was overwhelmed by anger and frustration. She hardly spoke with Mon-El since Christmas, but she thought he'd miss her, at least a little bit. After all, they did have that one sweet moment, with the necklace and the mistletoe , that might have made her believe they were going places. She couldn't believe how stupid she was for thinking that he actually cared. She was his mentor, and he valued her for that, but that was all she was to him. So why did it hurt that he only called as a favor to Winn?

And then there was that – for some unknown reason Winn was mad at her. She tried to think of anything that could have pissed him off, but nothing came to her, other than the fact that she was sort of preoccupied these last few days. The last time they saw each other they were actually better than ever. They ate pizza , watched X-men and he went home with a smile on his face. Whatever it was, she needed to fix it. She needed to put her hurt feelings aside and work on one relationship that she knew wouldn't disappoint her.

Deciding it would be best to have that talk face to face, since Winn could never really stay mad at her when she gave him the puppy eyes, she headed for the sky again, and towards the DEO.

Half-way there, she felt a strong sting in her neck, and as she touched it she realized there was a green dart digging into it. Just the fact that it could puncture her skin made it obvious that it was made out of kryptonite. She removed it quickly, but the kryptonite burned her fingers and she let it slip. Unfortunately, by the time she removed it, it already got into her system. Her eyes were still wide open, but everything started to blur, and her head spun frantically. She felt like she was spinning in circles for hours. She lost her balance and hurtled towards the ground, too weak to even try to land safely. She collapsed on the pavement, losing her consciousness the second her head crashed against the solid ground. Her eyelids fluttered shut and she was swallowed by complete darkness.


End file.
